Utility garment with removable pockets

ABSTRACT

A system for utility garments, the garment shells for these garments, and the pockets moutable upon these garments, which provide the wearer the option of removing pockets and discarding the garment for disposal or cleaning while not having to remove the contents of the pockets. The pockets may have one or more compartments to place items needed by the wearer during use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to items of clothing more particularly, toremovable pockets that may be found on clothing, more particularly, thisinvention relates to removable pockets for utility garments, and asystem utilizing such utility garments.

2. State of the Art

A variety of pursuits can require the wearer of a garment associatedwith that pursuit to place items in the pockets of the garment he or shewears during such pursuits. Usually an outer garment of some sort, forexample, blazers, vests, lab coats and the like may be worn by suchwearers. During use, the garments may become soiled or unsuitable forfurther wear and the wearer of the garment may desire to place thecontents of the pockets to different garments. Indeed the pockets may betransferred on the whim of the user, who decides to wear a differentoutfit for whimsical or fashion reasons. Then the contents of all thepockets must be removed and placed into a new garment that may alsobecome unsuitable for further use quickly.

In one example, workers in various kinds of laboratories, for example,chemical or biological laboratories, may desire to carry various itemsfor testing and transporting items to be tested. In such cases, theitems may be of generally unwholesome nature, and if outer garmentbecomes soiled, the wearer of the garment may desire a change inclothing before continuing on with the days work.

These same workers have to carry a variety of objects and tools withthem as the work. These include pens, meters, testing apparatus, cellphones, pagers, and the like, and these objects are usually carried bythe worker in their pockets. If they have to change their clothes duringthe day, they also have to empty their pockets and transfer the contentsto the new garment.

Similarly, those who work with known uncleanliness, for example, workerswho deal with machinery and the like with oil and grease on them, orthose who deal with unwholesome products such as chemicals or biologicalfluids, may have the need to replace their garments that may becomesoiled with dirt, water, oil, and the like, and could benefit fromeasily replaceable pockets.

It would be of great advantage to these workers if they had a protectivegarment that shielded them from the unsavory materials they may beexposed to, and allowed easy and facile transfer of the objects in theirpockets to a new outer protective garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a system for utility garments provides thewearer of a variety of garments including overalls, blazers, lab coats,and vests with the option of removing pockets and discarding the garmentfor disposal or cleaning, while not having to remove the contents of thepockets. The pockets may have one or more compartments to place itemsneeded by the wearer during use. In one embodiment the pockets or thegarment or both may be disposable.

In one embodiment this invention provides a pocket for use in an outerutility garment shell for use in environments susceptible to soiling andother contamination comprising a front, a back attached to the frontaround the edge, said attachment providing at least one opening, and atleast one removable attachment point disposed on the back of the pocketsuch that the pocket is mountable on a garment shell providing a pockethaving an opening exposed to the wearer of the garment for easy accessduring wearing of the garment shell.

In another embodiment, this invention provides an utility garmentcomprising: an outer garment shell having a front portion with at leastone removable attachment for a pocket disposed thereon; and a pocketremovably placed upon each of the at least one removable attachmentpoint such that the pocket is exposed to the wearer of the garment foreasy access during wearing.

In yet another embodiment, this invention provides a system for allowingfacile changing of conformation of utility clothing for use inenvironments susceptible to soiling of the garment shell and otherwisecontaminating it comprising: at least one outer garment shell forwearing about the torso and supported by the shoulders of a wearerhaving a front portion with at least one removable attachment for apocket disposed thereon, said attachment at a point on the garment shellthat is easily accessible to a wearer of the garment shell; a pluralityof pockets, not permanently affixed to the garment shell, each designedfor at least one specific task, and each affixable to the garment shell,thereby allowing at least one removably placeable pocket to have aremovable mounting on said garment shell; mounting at least oneremovable attachment point of said outer garment shell such that thepocket is exposed to the wearer of the garment for easy access duringwearing such that the wearer can remove the garment shell from thewearers body and remove the pockets from the garment shell to allowchanging of the garment shell and the pockets in the event of thegarment shell or the pockets becoming unacceptably soiled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a utility vest having removable pocketsdisposed thereon, with several of the pockets shown removed therefrom.

FIG. 2 shows a frontal plan view another embodiment of this inventionplaced on the garment shell.

FIG. 3 shows a frontal view of a garment shell with a [portion of thefront flap moved to show an inner pocket of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the Fig. an outer utility vest 10, or garment shell,has a plurality of pockets disposed thereon. Although a vest isdescribed herein, the exact same principle can be used on overalls,blazers, lab coats, overcoats, shirts, and the like, made out of manydifferent kinds of materials, including, cotton, wool, syntheticmaterials including nylon, rayon, dacron, urethane, and combinationfabrics that may contain two or more of the previously listed fabrics.The fabric may be tightly woven, loosely woven, knit, woven as a meshand the like. The fabric may also be non-woven. The material may be ofany color, or in a print of various colors and the pockets may be of thesame color or a different color than the garment shell. The garmentshell is worn over the shoulders of a wearer and has a front, generallyfacing in the same direction as the wearers face. The front of thegarment shell is a place one would normally expect to find at least onepocket for use by the wearer of the garment.

A utility vest 10 of the present invention includes a vest shell 12 thathas a front portion shown in the figure, having arm holes for the wearer14, a neck hole for the wearer 16, and a front closure 18. The frontclosure may be secured by zippers, buttons, snaps, tie fasteners, andthe like.

Four pockets (18, 22, 24, and 26) are shown in the Fig. The number ofpockets may vary from use to use. At least one pocket will be removable,and preferably, a plurality of pockets will be used. Each pocket isattached to a removable attachment point on the front of the vest. It isnot beyond the scope of this invention to have pockets placed on thesides or back of the garment shell, and pockets may also be attached tothe lower seam of the garment shell to facilitate some uses, such as thecarrying of unusually heavy objects.

In use the vest will have at least one pocket (for example, 18, 22, 24,and 26) removably placable upon at least one of the removable attachmentpoints (for example, 32, 36, and 42) such that the pocket is exposed tothe wearer of the vest for easy access during wearing. While the garmentshell may have a plurality of attachment points; it is, of course,possible that during use by some personnel who will wear the vest, thatthey will attach only one pocket, although there may be many moreattachment points on the vest shell. It should be clear that the numberof pockets actually used is up to the discretion of the wearer who willselect the number of pockets based on the needs of the use of thegarment and the needs of the wearer at that moment. It should, ofcourse, be noted that the pockets on the garment shell need beremovable. In many environments at least one permanent pocket may beuseful, or even mandatory.

In one preferred embodiment, the vest shell 10 have four removableattachment points thereon. It is also preferred that pockets are placedupon each of the four removable attachment points. The four preferredlocations for pockets include the right upper chest area 20 (from thewearer's point of view), on the left upper chest area 26, on right waistarea 22, and on left waist area 24. It is preferred, although notrequired, that the pockets be reusable, since the purpose of the pocketsis to allow the loading of pockets and the use on more than one garment.It will be noted that the pockets are all shown attached by differentmeans in the accompanying Fig. The variety of attachment means is forillustration purposes only. In actual use it would be greatly preferredto use only one type of attachment means on a particular garment shell.Moreover, all the pockets on the illustrative garment are shown to beremovable. In any real garment of this invention, there may be one ormore pockets permanently affixed to the garment.

One preferred method of attaching pockets is by use of hook and loopmaterial (for example Velcro®). A pocket may have hook and loop materialdisposed on its back (not shown in the Fig.) for attachment to hook andloop material 24 disposed on the vest shell. In the Fig. the hook andloop material is shown as strips sewn or otherwise secured to the vestshell. When the vest shell becomes soiled, the wearer unfastens the hookand loop material, discards that vest shell, for cleaning or disposal,and reattaches the pocket to another clean vest shell.

Another method of attachment of a pocket 26 is by pressure sensitivesnaps 42. At least one pressure sensitive snap disposed on the back ofthe pocket 26 may mate with another disposed on the front of the vestshell 12. When the vest shell becomes soiled, the wearer unfastens thesnaps, discards that vest shell, for cleaning or disposal, andreattaches the pocket to another clean vest shell.

Yet another method of attachment of a pocket 24 is by buckle assembly 38and 36. The buckle assembly may be of any size and type that allows theuse of the front of the vest by the user. Although two buckle assemblesused to secure the pocket to the vest shell are shown in the Fig. onlyone need be used to secure the pocket to the vest shell 12.

Each of the pockets (20, 22, 24, and 26) may have more than onecompartment disposed therein (as shown in the Fig. for 20, 22, and 26).For example, a pocket 26 may have a single compartment 44 suitable foruse by a pen or other writing instrument. Alternatively a pocket 22 mayhave a plurality of compartments 34. Otherwise, a pocket 20 may have twoor more compartments 28 and 30 for convenience, or even for thefashionable look such a divided pocket may provide.

As shown, the plurality of compartments 34 in the pocket 22 may be usedfor transport of blood or other biological samples. In modern medicalpractice, contact with blood is scrupulously avoided by medicalpersonnel; therefore, it is preferred to use pockets fabricated fromdisposable material for these pockets. Alternatively any of the itemsused by medical personnel may be stowed in specially designedcompartments. For example, this invention contemplates the use ofcompartments specially made for specific testing meters, pens and otherwriting utensils, pagers and cell phones, thermometers, probes,examination lights and other sources of illumination, and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the pocket 40 of this invention may be attachedby hook and loop material to form a double pocket. The hook material 44may be attached to the garment shell 42, as indicated in the Fig, andthe hook material 46 may be attached to the removable pocket 48. Theouter, attached portion 50 of the double pocket may be used to carryitems, such as cell phones or testing equipment that might beadvantageously removed and carried to another garment, while the innerpocket 52, formed by the void between the perimeter of the hook and loopmaterial may be used to carry items that the user might want to disposeof or are easily replaceable, such as pens or pencils.

Referring now to FIG. 3, pockets 82 may be placed on the inner side ofthe garment shell 80 for protection during use. Wallets, oridentification, and the like may be carried here, while the pocket maybe easily removed as deemed necessary by the wearer of the garment.Other attachable pockets 84 may be worn at the same time.

As noted above, pockets intended to be devoted to uses involving thetransfer of unwholesome materials are probably best disposed after use.However, it in one preferred embodiment of this invention, all pocketsare made to be disposed. It is contemplated that the outer vest shell ofthe utility vest be washable, and reusable after use. However, it may bethat the most efficient way to use the vest of the present invention isto dispose of the entire vest shell after each use.

This invention also contemplates a pocket for use in an outer utilitygarment. Such a pocket will have a front, a back attached to the front,with at least one opening: and at least one removable attachment pointdisposed on the back of the pocket such that the opening of the pocketis exposed to the wearer of the garment for easy access during wearing.The pocket may be designed with a particular use in mind and may besubstantially different looking in size, shape and material it may befabricated from, that the other pockets that may be used on the garmentshell. The pocket may be disposable or reusable or both. It may includemore than one compartment defined within it, and it may have a closureflap 46 or similar privacy device attached thereto. Here the flap isclosed by a button 48, although snaps, hook and loop material, and likemethods may be used for pocket closure. If it has multiple compartmentsdefined there within these compartments may be specially made to carrypagers and cell phones, thermometers, probes, examination lights andother sources of illumination, and the like

The garment and the pockets may be made from the same material or fromdifferent materials. These materials may be woven or non-woven fabrics,and may be made from, cotton, linen, wool, rayon, nylon, polyester, orcombinations of the various fabrics. These materials may be fabricatedfrom wood derived non-woven materials as a means of controlling costsfor disposable garments. Other materials are possible, for example,polyurethane, polyethylene both formed as a sheet and woven from threadmade from the material, and the like, but of course, some concession tothe comfort of the wearer must be made in the choice of fabric orfabrication material. Obviously if the garment is to be reusable, itneeds to be made of more robust material that will tolerate the variouscleaning processes that may be used to cleanse the garment.

The garment may include adjustment means on the sides so the garment maybe purchased in a small number of sizes to accommodate various sizedusers of the garment. Other fitting means may also be used to allow thesnug fitting of garments intended for wear by many persons.

It should be noted that the system contemplated as one aspect of thisinvention, includes a plurality of garments, including blazers, labcoats, vests and the like and a plurality of pockets that may betransferred from one garment to another, and, indeed, from one type ofgarment to another. The needs of the user may well vary from day to day,or even during any particular day, while the user may still want thecontents of the pockets for easy and convenient access.

This invention has been described with reference to specific examplesand embodiments. A variety of modifications, alterations, and changeswill suggest themselves to one of ordinary skill in the art. Theappended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications,alterations, and changes.

1. A pocket for use in an outer utility garment shell for use inenvironments susceptible to soiling and other contamination comprising:a front; a back attached to the front around the edge, said attachmentproviding at least one opening; at least one removable attachment pointdisposed on the back of the pocket such that the pocket is mountable ona garment shell providing a pocket having an opening exposed to thewearer of the garment for easy access during wearing of the garmentshell.
 2. The pocket for use in an outer utility garment of claim 16wherein the pocket is attachable to the garment shell having a frontportion with at least one removable attachment for a pocket disposedthereon.
 3. The pocket for use in a outer utility garment of claim 16wherein the pocket is attached by a perimeter attachment allowing theformation of a double pocket divided into at least two compartments forcarrying specialized items of use.
 4. An utility garment for use inenvironments susceptible to soiling of garments and other contaminationcomprising: an outer garment shell wearable over and supported by theshoulders of the wearer having a front portion disposed in the generaldirection of the wearers face when donned, with at least one removableattachment for a pocket disposed thereon: at least one non-affixedremovably placeable pocket designed for a specific use mountable uponsaid garment shell; and means allowing the wearer to reattach ably affixthe non-affixed removably placable pocket upon each of the at least oneremovable attachment points such that the pocket is exposed to thewearer of the garment for easy access during wearing.
 5. The outerutility garment of claim 4 wherein the garment shell having a pluralityof removable attachment points thereon and pockets placed upon each ofthe plurality of removable attachment points.
 6. The outer utilitygarment of claim 4 wherein at least one of the removable pockets has atleast one portion of hook and loop material disposed on it, and thegarment has at least one portion of hook and loop material disposed onit to hold the pocket securely to the garment during wearing.
 7. Theouter utility garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of the removablepockets has at least one pressure sensitive snap, and the garmentincludes at least one pressure sensitive snap disposed to hold thepocket securely to the garment during wearing.
 8. The outer utilitygarment of claim 4 wherein at least one of the removable pocketsincludes a buckle assembly and the garment includes a buckle assemblydisposed to hold the pocket securely on the garment during wearing. 9.The outer utility garment of claim 4 wherein at least one of theremovable pockets may have more than one compartment defined therewithin.
 10. The outer utility garment of claim 4 wherein at least one ofthe removable pockets are disposable after use.
 11. The outer utilitygarment of claim 4 wherein the garment shell is disposable.
 12. Theouter utility garment of claim 4 wherein the garment shell is reusableafter cleaning.
 13. The outer utility garment of claim 4 wherein atleast one of the four pockets has at least two compartments.
 16. Theouter utility garment of claim 4 wherein the at least one pockets isreusable.
 17. A system for allowing facile changing of conformation ofutility clothing for use in environments susceptible to soiling of thegarment shell and otherwise contaminating it comprising: at least oneouter garment shell for wearing about the torso and supported by theshoulders of a wearer having a front portion with at least one removableattachment for a pocket disposed thereon, said attachment at a point onthe garment shell that is easily accessible to a wearer of the garmentshell; and a plurality of pockets, not permanently affixed to thegarment shell, each designed for at least one specific task, and eachaffixable to the garment shell, thereby allowing at least one removablyplaceable pocket to have a removable mounting on said garment shell; andmounting at least one removable attachment point of said outer garmentshell such that the pocket is exposed to the wearer of the garment foreasy access during wearing such that the wearer can remove the garmentshell from the wearers body and remove the pockets from the garmentshell to allow changing of the garment shell and the pockets in theevent of the garment shell or the pockets becoming unacceptably soiled.18. The system of claim 17 wherein at least two different garment shellsare provided each having a plurality of removable attachment pointsthereon, and pockets placed upon each of the plurality of removableattachment point.
 19. The outer utility garment of claim 18 wherein atleast one pocket is placed within the garment shell.
 20. The outerutility garment of claim 17 wherein at least one of the removablepockets has at least one portion of hook and loop material disposed onit, and the garment has at least one portion of hook and loop materialdisposed on it to hold the pocket securely to the garment duringwearing.